Grinding the coffee beans

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Rhodes Navy Port
10km east of the city of Rhodes
State of Virentia
Socialist World Republic

It had been a while since Calvin Smith-Simmons, Marshal of the Navy and thus the highest ranking official within his branch of the military, had been to this part of the Republic. He was greeted warmly at the Rhodes Navy Port when his motorcade pulled up through the guarded gates and stopped in front of the command building where the commanding officer was expecting him with an honor guard. Commander Lesley Lincoln had been a close friend of the Marshal, ever since their joint days at military academy, though he harbored a shread of jealousy for his friends rapid career that had seen Smith-Simmons become Lincolns superior years ago.

"It's been a while since you visited me at my base, so I guess you are here for official business, rather than to visit me?"

There was little need for formality between the two men, despite their difference in rank.

"Let's just say I used this opportunity to combine the useful with the pleasant. I am here to inspect the forces, but I would not be opposed to a bit of smalltalk and a coffee, if you don't mind."

"My adjutant is already cooking a pot. Justizan beans, fittingly enough."

Smith-Simmons couldn't help but laugh. "Winters is still hesitant. We got him to prepare for the eventuality of war after the apparent failure of his diplomacy, but he is still reluctant to go through with the plans. Sometimes I think he is just afraid."

"He is weak," Lincoln snarked.

"You know I voted for him, right?"

"So did I and I probably would again," Lincoln replied dismissively. "But all his internal policies, all the economic stability and growth can't change the fact that he's weak. Too weak to protect what he's built. That's why he needs strong military leaders to do that for him."

As the men had been talking, they had walked through the base towards the airfield. Apart from a refueling and repair dock for the Navy, the Rhodes Navy Port was also an airbase for the 3rd Navy Air Division. Inspecting them and their joint training operations with the two Implarian Fleets had been the main reason for Smith-Simmons visit to the base.

"I have my pilots training low altitude approaches against the Implarian Fleets to the south and we've already registered some progress. However, they will need to continue that for the next weeks if we want to have a shot at safely staying below the radar for the distances you've specified."

Somewhere in the back, the engines of a NTB-54 "Serpent" began to howl. It was a tactical bomber designed solely for the Navy with the intended purpose of hunting down enemy vessels and destroying them over large distances. The one starting from the Rhodes Navy Port was outfitted with mock weaponry to simulate the payload of a combat mission and it would fly southwards, approaching the fleet carrier "Marx" while trying to fly below radar. A tricky operation that required considerable skill and experience, the latter of which the pilots were intended to earn through these training runs.

"Our bomber pilots still have some considerable trouble with the approach," Lincoln continued. "To be honest, the pilots of the Carrier Air Groups in their Vipers do a lot better when they fly against our shore-based radar stations. I blame the smaller fighter planes," he shrugged.

"Take your time, be thorough. With Winters as our Supreme Command, you may enjoy quite a lot of time to hone the skills of our pilots before we can put them to use."

To: Embassy of the Socialist World Republic
Furzillo
Justiza

Top Secret

As of the 22.Oktober 1956, diplomats in service of the World Republic and stationed in the country of Justiza are ordered to acquire data on the following and transfer it to Deliverance via encoded and secure channels:

detailed maps of civilian and military infrastructure, including roads, port facilities, industry, electricity and telephone services, airports and airfields, radar and radio installations
information on the Justizan armed forces, troop strength, positions and movements with special focus on navy and air force
personal background information and professional assesments of high-ranking officers of the Justizan armed forces
strategic information and positions of Pelasgian forces on Justiza

The information is to be acquired through secure and unsuspicious means and safety of personnel is to be prioritized at all times. Data gathered is to be destroyed once transmitted and no copies to be stored on embassy grounds. As should be obvious per the classification as TOP SECRET, no mention of the operation is permitted outside the tap-proof rooms within the embassy.

As part of the operation, Major Roland Reed will be transferred to the embassy as intelligence advisor. He is to be referred to as Secretary Reed at all times and his guise as diplomatic staff member must not be compromised.

The message is to be destroyed upon reception of the information contained.

Godspeed.

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

International Airport
Furzillo
Justiza

"Turn off that blasted engine, we have been waiting for thirty minutes already. You are just wasting gas."

Ambassador Kilroy was not a patient man and the delay of their visitor was bothering him as he was not afraid to show. One might have assumed that a post like that at the embassy in Justiza would not exactly be the first choice for a man who was almost obsessive about punctuality, protocol and order. For the longest time, Justiza had not been any priority for the World Republic at all and the Embassy on the island state was considered a laid back, relaxed position where one had plenty of time to accomplish their tasks. But Kenneth Kilroy had applied for a position in Justiza as soon as it had opened up and it was precisely because it was such a low-priority, stress-relieved job. No conflicting appointments, no restrictive time-management. He could always be as punctual, orderly and thorough as he had seen fit.

Waiting thirty minutes for a delayed plane was one the least enjoyable events he had to endure throughout his appointment, which should tell a lot about his post. Justiza had only recently been thrown in the spotlight and suddenly Kilroy found himself in a position where he was to gather intelligence for Deliverance. A normal part of life as ambassador, perhaps, when your embassy is one of the greater, more powerful nations like Kadikistan or Engellex - but in Justiza? Kilroy had no experiece to work from and his higher-ups seemed aware of it, as the visitor they were waiting for was an intelligence officer who was to assist them and coordinate their missions.

"Excuse me, ambassador Kilroy?"

A small, gaunt figure with a sober expression and metal-rimmed, small, round glasses approached him. At his side was a small, furry dog, visibly excited about the new surroundings and kept on a short lesh. Its fur was long and shiny, white and orange. From what Kilroy could tell, it was a Sheltie.

"Mister Reed," Kilroy said, looking at the man with slight bewilderment. "I wasn't expecting you to bring a dog along with you."

"And I was expecting someone more... buff," the man waiting with the ambassador chimed in, earning himself some stern looks from both the ambassador and Reed, who were half-expecting him to blow the Majors cover right away by noting how he did not look like a military officer at all.

"Excuse my deputy, Secretary Reed. He tends to judge people by their names, before even meeting them. We are here to drive you to the embassy. Sadly, your departure from home has been on such a short notice that we had to improvise a little with your accomodations. Still, I hope you will find everything to your satisfaction even with your unexpected furry visitor on your side."

"Yes, I am afraid the situation escalated so quickly that Deliverance decided you weren't adequately staffed any longer to deal with the ... diplomatic duties that have been entrusted to you recently. But of course, you have been informed of this already, I assume?"

"Your help is greatly appreciated, Mr. Reed. We have appointed a meeting in the embassy this evening to brief everyone on your arrival and the duties we will have to perform over the course of the next days. This leaves you enough time to recover from the flight and have something to eat. May I recommend you a small café right around the corner of the embassy? The Justizans have a vivid gastronomical culture and it would be a shame not to partake in it, no matter the tension between us and their government. You can then start your work here with a full stomach."

"I would welcome your suggestions, ambassador. However, I fear you are mistaken on one little thing?"

"Oh?"

Reed handed the ambassador a small book he had bought at the airport. It was a series of roadmaps by the local automotorists club.

"You will find no more accurate roadmaps than the ones published by a countrys automobile association. You see, ambassador, I have already begun working."

Federal Intelligence Department
Deliverance, Socialist World Republic
Decryption Unit

Operation Melampus
Progress Report

Transmissions intercepted by Rangers along the Pelasgian border have been analyzed and while the employment of our central computer for this task has been of great aid, the results were as predicted: failure to crack the encryption. Current amount of data is too limited in size and quality to enable us a decipherment of the Pelasgian codes, despite the employment of advanced technical aides. Similiar results have been achieved with the Justizan codes, for the same reasons.

To ensure progress of our operations, we will require more encrypted transmissions to add to our data. We thus advise for additional operations that will acquire transcripts of Pelasgian and Justizan radio communications for Operation Melampus to work with. As the amount of transmission along the joint Pelasgian-Republican border is very limited due to the remote nature of the area, the deployment of operatives with the express intent of tapping in on Pelasgian and Justizan radio transmission will be necessary.

Furthermore, we advise against interpretations that would conclude our lack of success or the limited data we possess would justify a limitation of our usage of the central computer. If we desire any realistic chance at achieving our goal of decoding the Pelasgian and Justizan encryptions, the use of the central computer will be unnegotionable.

Signed,
Captain H.A. Addams

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Implarian Coast
Somewhere near Fulton
Concordia State

Tom always took his smaller brother here, to the beaches south of his parents house, whenever his mother told them to play outside. Both of them loved the ocean and the shores of southern Himyar were pleasant throughout the year. They could collect seashells, build sandcastles or just watch the ships pass by in the horizon. One of the busier shipping routes of Himyar ran along the eastern coastlines of Concordia, as ships from throughout southern Himyar - not just the SWR - headed northwards to the Sortain Streets and then the Kalahari. Freighters, tankers and in some instances, military ships. Today was one of these days and the two boys watched with great interest.

"Can you see them? Are they some of ours?"

Tom squinted his eyes, trying to answer the question of his little brother. He could, of course, not make out the nationality of the ships over such a distance, but he didn't want to admit that to his little brother.

"Of course I can see whose they are," he lied. "They are ours! The great Implarian fleet!"

He wasn't completely wrong. It was, in fact, the 5th Fleet of the Navy of the Republic, headed towards the Sortain street on a mission to monitor the Pelasgian base there. Their orders were to stay clear of Lauenburger national waters and to patrol the Sortain streets with active radar, monitoring Pelasgian troop movements and to also record Pelasgian radio transmissions for use by the intelligence services back home. Of course, Tom knew none of these things, he just pretended to be all knowledgeable to impress his brother.

"They are going to invade Justicetia," he boasted. "Punish those imperialists and free the slaves there!"

"What is Just Tittia?" His brother looked at him with honest curiosity.

"It's this giant island in the north! They are enslaving people everywhere to work on their coffee farms. The President told them to stop and if they won't release all the slaves, we will have to attack them."

Toms brother looked at the ships in the horizon with great fascination. "Tell me about the ships," he demanded.

"See that small ones with the big antenna? That's radar! These ships can watch what people do by using x-rays. Those go through water and the earth and they can watch through walls with it or look behind mountains, so our enemies can not hide anything.

Or those other ones there. Those are for fighting airplanes. They have heatrays that can melt planes in the sky and they can never miss because they are faster than the speed of light! If any planes try to attack the ships they can stop them before the pilots even notice it."

"What about the big ones! There on the left. They have big guns!"

"Yes, the most powerful guns on earth. They can fire from here to the other end of Himyar and one single shot can destroy an entire city. That's why they have to be careful with it, because we only want to hit the bad guys."

"The other end of Himyar? How far is that?"

"1000 times 1000 kilometers," Tom boasted, earning him a reply, tongue-tied with fascination.

"Wow..."

 

[Pelasgia]

Imperial War Navy Second Fleet Headquarters, Macre, Opsicia, Pelasgian Empire

Another rainy day of mid-Autumn reigned over Macre, as the temperature had started to oscillate around 20 degrees, with 16 as the minimum and 23 as the max. It was the kind of weather in which one had to put on a cardigan in the morning and change into a t-shirt at noon, which dragged well into Winter in most of Northern and Western Pelasgia. In the Second Fleet's Headquarters, a large, neoclassical building, painted in shades of ochre in most spots where white was not the rule, had a proud spot in Pelasgian Naval History, as the seat of her second oldest fleet, dating back into the first few centuries after the fall of Tibur, when most modern nations did not exist, let alone have fleets. It bore the immense and proud tradition of the Karabisianoi, coastal citizens from Opsicia and the nearby coasts who formed the blunt of the Empire’s first fleet outside of Propontis and the Princeponesian Archipelago. Nikolaos Skaphias was but a cog in the massive military machine that was the Empire’s Navy, which, by all accounts, was the largest and probably the strongest in the whole world.

In response to a danger of Socialist aggression, the Empire had organised her forces into four main battle groups, allocating each one to the four Imperial Fleets, along with a carrier and its escort in reserve to reinforce whichever front, if any, needed help. The Second Fleet, which was meant to stand alone in the Western Naval Front, had been granted the reserve Carrier Group, bringing its total force to 4 Aircraft Carriers, 2 Battleships, 6 Missile Cruisers, 4 Frigates, 21 Destroyers, 15 Submarines, and an appropriate escort of landing vessels and logistics ships, which were meant to carry the 22.400 Imperial Marines which the fleet had brought with it. In short, the Second Fleet, just like all Imperial Fleets, was larger than the entire navies other countries would usually field. This truly impressive force lay docked in Macre’s harbour, a port which had far more than its fair share of battles on sea, land, and both, since the city’s foundation in the 5[SUP]th[/SUP] Century BC. Alas, as news of South Himyari naval communications had been intercepted earlier that day, the Admirals in the General Staff of the Imperial War Navy, in Propontis, discussed the appropriate course of action for the Empire’s sea component to take.

Finally, after hours upon hours of boring standard communication, Nikolaos Skaphias raised his hand, showing his officer that a telegram had been dispatched with the most high of encryption from the capital. A few minutes later, the analog computer of the decryption room, had printed a decrypted version. A massive and revolutionary machine, the encryption and decryption computer in question, AYKA (Ἀνώτατος Ὑπολογιστὴς Κρυπτογράφησης καὶ Ἀποκρυπτογράφησης – Supreme Encryption and Decryption Computer), had been produced by Nikopoulos A.E. for the Imperial Ministry of National Defence under a special, secret contract, combining decades' worth of scientific research, progress, and development by the Empire's best universities and industries. The communications officer picked up the sheet from the machine and read it carefully; these were the orders he had waited for, and had secretly hoped to avoid, his whole career.

PELASGIAN EMPIRE IMPERIAL MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENCE TOP SECRET ​ From: General Staff of the Imperial War Navy, Propontis, Phryxaea, Pelasgia To: Second Fleet Command, Macre, Opsicia, Pelasgia Subject: Orders Sheet Classification: Top Secret – A1Δ Fleet Intelligence Command has reported transmissions indicating the presence of warships of the self-proclaimed SWR off of the Horn of Himyar, near the Pillars of Nearchus*. Its suspicions have been confirmed by radar, submarine, and aerial recognition. As per Imperial Defence Protocols, in particular War Plan Red, the Second Fleet is directed to sail immediately through the Long Sea’s western waters to the Clarencian Sea, off of the furthest coastal point of the self-proclaimed SWR. A reasonable distance from the coastline is to be maintained, and the territorial waters of no state are to be violated. At the same time, the most vigilant of alertness statuses is to be maintained, with the entire fleet's aerial and anti-submarine defences being on high alert 24/7. The security of the fleet, especially its Capital Ships and Marines, is most crucial. Submarines are to patrol nearby waters, while airplanes are also to conduct routine aerial surveillance of the area, with radar support. The fleet is to maintain the highest secrecy while moving through the Themautic Ocean. It is presumed that thanks to the intense hate or dislike of the self-proclaimed SWR by the region's nations, due to ideological and/or historical reasons, as well as its own measures to ensure secrecy and security, the fleet will be able to make it to its target location undetected and in perfect condition, surprising the self-proclaimed SWR, in case of hostilities, with its superior force, which would be within striking distance of the rogue state's home territories. Long live the Emperor and may the Lord be with you. -Megas Doux Nikolaos Kallerges

*Pelasgian name for the Sortain Strait

 

[Pelasgia]

Varden Strait, International Waters

The Second Fleet made its way through the International Waters of the Varden Strait, which was known to the Pelasgians as the Pillars of Pytheas (a famous ancient Pelasgian explorer and geographer from modern Serenierre), carefully avoiding the territorial waters of Andaluz. While Andaluz had not present quarrels with the Empire, and its government seemed to not be rather warm with the so-called "Socialist World Republic", the country itself had been founded by barbarian invaders who had seized a Propontine Exarchate, during the time after the collapse of the Northern Tiburan Empire. Ever since then, and especially during the 4th Crusade, the Pelasgians and the Andals had not exactly had an easy coexistence, but the presence of greater threats and the rough, expansive terrain between the two realms had managed to keep a semblance of peace; besides, the Empire had never exactly had good relationships with Her neighbours, as a foreign policy focused on world domination tends to make those near the state pursuing it feel uncomfortable.

As such, the Empire's Second Fleet sailed through the straits, with all ships at full readiness and surface vessels surrounding the aircraft carriers, while planes flew above the formation and submarines monitored all its sides. Inside the ships, the Pelasgian sailors had temporarily discarded their beloved uniforms, in favour of anti-flash-gear, standing on high alert, in case an attack would come from any force as they crossed into the great Thaumatic Ocean. Admiral Andreas Aiglitaios stood on the deck of the Fleet's flagship, the Aircraft Carrier VPN Andronikos II Komnenos, his face covered by a thick greyish mask of fire-resistant fabric, of which the gloves which covered his hands and the blue full-body anti-flash suit.

«Καμία ἐπαφή, Kύριε Πλοίαρχε,» said the officer in charge of the ship's main radar, indicating that there were no contacts in the area, for the time being; «Καλῶς,» replied the Admiral, showing that he was pleased, while his gaze remained fixated ahead, at the ships which led the fleet's advance.

 

[Rheinbund]

The message coming out of the coding machine of the Naval Base in Bremen wasn't unexpected. It contained orders for the mobilisation of the carrier fleet of the Eiffellandian Navy. Deployment orders were not clear yet, but the process of mobilisation was already started.

Meanwhile, on some of the air force bases, Prince Johann von Dietz-Hadamar was briefed with his wing about the situation in the Eastern Kalahari Sea. He was a member of the first squadron of pilots to fly the new Sturmvogel. His squadron would start to operate abroad in order to handle the current crisis in the Kalahari Sea. Also other squadrons fighter and bomber squadrons were mobilised.

At the same time, the Staatsschutz started to survey the embassy and the diplomats of the SWR.

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Sortain Straits

The Navy of the Republic Vessel "Kingslayer" was the flagship of the fifth fleet, a slightly dated cruiser from the mid thirties that had recently been overhauled and equipped with more modern equipment. Supported by its sister, the NRV "Communard" and eight destroyers, the fifth fleet wasn't exactly the most powerful force in the world. Nonetheless, it was a strategic asset that the World Republic intended to put to good use and with Deliverance butting heads with Propontis, there was need to keep a close eye on the Pelasgian naval base at the Horn of Himyar. This was a task that fell to the fifth fleet, partly because it wasn't the most valuable asset the Navy possessed: should the Pelasgians decide to strike first, the fifth fleet was overall expendable, at least when compared to any of the carrier groups that could not easily be replaced.

That they had been noticed by the Pelasgians had not gone unacknowledged by the fleet, but it had been hardly surprising that, entering the narrow straits, making no effort towards secrecy, they would be spotted by Pelasgian radar installations and patrols. Their orders had never been to avoid the Pelasgians, but to monitor their movements and to record their transmissions to feed to the decryption efforts back home. Of course, the fifth fleet would stay clear of the territorial waters of Lauenburg. As much as the presence of the fifth fleet was an intentional provocation towards the Pelasgians, there was no desire to create an international incident that would involve another party which had, up to now, been mostly standing quiet at the sidelines despite her alliance with Pelasgia and Justiza. The SWR wanted to keep it at that.

Recordings of Pelasgian radio transmissions weren't the only thing the naval command was interested in, though. Operating their radar at maximum capacity and spread out in a wide formation to cover as much ground as possible, the fifth fleet was watching anything going in and out of the Pelasgian naval base, noting patrol patterns and keeping track of overall combat strength. Valuable information, should the conference in Deliverance fail to bring the intended results.

Furzillo
Justiza

"Such a cute thing. Mind if I give him a treat?"

Roland Reed smiled at the young woman - a complete stranger to him - whose sweet voice coupled with the melodic sound of the Justizan language made her almost sing her request to him. "I don't mind at all. His name is Diesel, by the way."

She bowed down to the small dog Reed had brought with him to Justiza and handed him a small piece of sausage. Unsurprisingly, Diesel was delighted about the offer, wagging his tail enthusiastically and chewing joyfully on the treat.

"You are not from here, mister, are you? Your accent gives you away."

"No, I'm afraid I'm not. I just arrived here recently for my work."

She was petting Diesel now, who responded with nearly the same degree of enthusiasm as he did when fed the sausage.

"Work? What is it that you do, if I may ask." She smiled at him brightly. It was obvious that, for some reason, this youg woman had taken a shine to the scrawny figure of Roland Reed with his thick, rimmed glasses and his stiff demanour. How? Why? That was a mystery to Reed himself. She was pretty, he had to admit. Back home he had seen comedians making fun of the isolationist island nature, calling them inbred and insinuating that this had led to all kinds of deformities amongst her people. But here, right in front of him, Reed had a classical Justizan beauty.

"I am a diplomat," Reed said with slight hesitation. As intelligence officer, he was of course used to lying about his profession, but the exact nature of his lie tended to change, depending on the circumstances. There was always this tiny delay, this split second longer that he needed to remember what it was that he was supposed to claim as his business. A diplomat. That was at least closer to some of the lies he had told in the past. It was at least honest about who his employer was: the Federal govermnment of the SWR. Only that he didn't come to Justiza to hold diplomatic meetings, attend to the needs of citizens travelling abroad or explain World Republican policy to the Justizans. He was here to spy on the small island nation, to gather information that would prepare the Republic for war.

Even his walk outside that had led him to the chance encounter with this young woman had been in his line of duty, to scout the troop locations and movements of the now mobilized Justizan forces. Taking Diesel for a walk, he could move around randomly and seemingly aimlessly across the island without arousing suspicion: he was merely taking his dog out. Occasionally, he would memorize a detail, the badge he had seen on the shoulder of a soldier he passed by, for example, or he tried to estimate the distances between a strategic location that was not marked on the public maps and such buildings that were. This was one of the reasons he had been chosen for this mission, apart from his knowledge of Justizan language: he had good memory and would not need to take suspicious notes as he explored Justiza.

"A diplomat? For what country?" She was still smiling. This was honest interest in Roland Reed as a human being.

"I'm from Arvum," he said, not thinking about how little that would tell a Justizan girl. People of the World Republic had the tendency not to refer to the Federal goverment, the Socialist World Republic, when asked such questions, but to their respective state.

"Where is that? I never heard of this place," came the expectable question.

"It's in the Socialist World Republic," Reed said and the instant he had uttered those words, her composure visibly shifted.

"Oh, oh dear..." she said, pulling her hand back from Diesel and rising to a stand again, now as stiff as the beuraucratic-minded Reed.

"I think I have to get going now."

 

[Pelasgia]

Imperial War Navy Fourth Fleet Headquarters, Stolos, Chelonis Island, The Archipelago, Pelasgian Empire

A couple of days had passed since the Second Fleet had mobilised and had started its voyage to reach the Clarencian. Since then, the officers and sailors of the Fourth Fleet, docked in the military section of the port of Stolos, had waited eagerly for their own orders to sail. Stolos, whose name literally meant "fleet", was one of the oldest cities in all of Pelasgia, being mentioned in the Illiad as one of the main sites from which the Pelasgians sailed to attack Ilium. It was the second biggest city on the island of Chelonis, named after and famed for its sea turtles. Composed of 3 Aircraft Carriers, 1 Battleship, 6 Missile Cruisers, 2 Frigates, 21 Destroyers, 15 Submarines, and an appropriate escort of logistics ships and landing vessels, which were meant to carry the 22.400 Imperial Marines the fleet had brought with it. On the fateful day of October 28th, two days after the Feast of Saint Demetrius, the fleet received a message from the admiralty in Propontis.

PELASGIAN EMPIRE IMPERIAL MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENCE TOP SECRET ​ From: General Staff of the Imperial War Navy, Propontis, Phryxaea, Pelasgia To: Fourth Fleet Command, Stolos, Chelonis Island, The Archipelago, Pelasgia Subject: Orders Sheet Classification: Top Secret – A1Δ Fleet Intelligence Command has reported transmissions indicating the presence of warships of the self-proclaimed SWR off of the Horn of Himyar, near the Pillars of Nearchus. Its suspicions have been confirmed by radar, submarine, and aerial recognition. As per Imperial Defence Protocols, in particular War Plan Red, the Second Fleet has been directed to sail immediately through the Long Sea’s western waters to the Clarencian Sea, off of the furthest coastal point of the self-proclaimed SWR. Likewise, the Fourth Fleet is directed to sail near the Imperial Base at the Horn of Himyar, in the territory of our Launeburger allies, to support the forces stationed there from possible enemy aggression. A reasonable distance from the self-proclaimed SWR's forces in the region is to be maintained. At the same time, the most vigilant of alertness statuses is to be maintained, with the entire fleet's aerial and anti-submarine defences being on high alert 24/7. The security of the fleet, especially its Capital Ships and Marines, is most crucial. Submarines are to patrol nearby waters, while airplanes are also to conduct routine aerial surveillance of the area, with radar support. The highest degree of ecryption is to maintained, while all ships should try to intercept and record the possibly hostile ships' transmissions for decryption purposes. Long live the Emperor and may the Lord be with you. -Megas Doux Nikolaos Kallerges

The Empire's two remaining fleets, the First Fleet and the Third Fleet, had been place on high alert, in case they needed to support the Empire's other forces, or in case they needed to defend the homeland from any unexpected aggression.

International Waters, West of Himyar, Thaumatic Ocean

The Second Fleet continued its cruise, having passed through the Pillars of Pytheas without any incidents of note, well clear of Andaluz. Admiral Aiglitaios stood on the bridge of the massive flagship once more, now in his normal uniform. He looked at the beautiful Himyari coast, where summer had yet to end, if it ever did, and thought of home. It would be a few days until the Second Fleet reached the Clarencian.... and Lord knows how many more weeks or months or even years it would be until he saw Macre again, if he were to survive.

 

[Rheinbund]

The Königliche Luftstreitkräfte had many advanced jet fighters to its disposal, but the development of new types of transport planes started only recently. As a result, by far the most transport planes were still propeller planes from an old design of the beginning of the 1940s. But they were still good at performing their task. Furhtermore, for a transport plane, it was not really important to be state‑of‑the‑art. They were in the process of being replaced with the Herakles tactical airlifter, the Kondor strategic airlifter, the Warnstern reconnaissance plane and from next year onwards the Kranich transport plane. The 1956 Kalahari crisis would probably be the last time the old T28 planes would be deployed.

The air force was stationing a total of 150 fighters and bombers at air force bases in Pelasgia and Lauenburger Hymiar. Furthermore, apart from the deployment of the carrier fleet, the Navy was stationing 40 fighters, helicopters and anti-submarine planes in Lauenburger Hymiar as well.

Meanwhile, the air force generals Franz Schablonski and Ludz Rädermacher had a problem to solve: How to use the Warnsterne. Dassau was building more of them, but at this moment there were only five. And Warnsterne were desparately needed at the moment.
“Look at the Southern border of Pelasgia,” Schablonski said. “Those mountains are difficult to cross for an invasion army. This applies to invasion forces from both Pelasgia and the SWR. This means that Pelasgia is not really at risk for an invasion. However, those mountains also pose a risk. In theory, the air force from the SWR can attack by flying low on their side of the mountains, only to become visible when they fly over the mountains. Then they are already in Pelasgia, and it will become difficult to deploy any Pelasgian aircraft, or aircraft from us, on time. The only way to avoid such a situation, i.e. to see the planes coming before they fly over the mountains, is to have a Warnstern permanently flying above Southern Pelasgia.”
“But what if Serenierre decides to attack?” Rädermacher asked. “I think we need a Warnstern west of Nichtstein as well. And we also need a Warnstern above the Kalahari Sea and Lauenburger Hymiar.”
“I know. Indeed, we have too few Warnsterne,” Schablonski said. “You also know that Dassau is currently giving priority to building more of them. We will have 25 Warnsterne by the end of the year. For now, my thoughts are the following. We will keep one Warnstern here, send two Warnsterne to Pelasgia and two Warnsterne to Lauenburger Hymiar. They will patrol at night. The day patrols will be done by T28 planes in reconnaissance configuration until we have enough Warnsterne to replace them.”
“OK. I agree with this,” Rädermacher said.

 

[Kadikistani Union]

Trade Routes
Parvae Straits
International Waters

Admiral Jeskov Marjutsk was drinking his morning coffee as he stood at the bridge of the flagship of the Southern Revolutionary Fleet, a 20-year old

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battleship named 'Sloboda'. The ship was very old and its usefulness was diminishing as faster, more modern and manoeuvrable ships were gaining the upper hand in the naval arms race. Yet it was still a floating fortress able to take a punch and to inflame a coastal region with its massive canons. It wouldn't take another decade before the battleship was retired, its constant need for renovation costing almost as much as making newer more modern ships, but for the Kadikistani State a battleship was still considered a mark of prestige. Unlike his predecessor Danilov Tunski, demoted for his 'emotional' behaviour during the failed Chagny Peace Summit, the freshly appointed Admiral Marjutsk has a more modern view on naval matters. For instance he didn't believe in the production of another aircraft carrier destined for the Northern Revolutionary Fleet which he deemed way to time-consuming and expensive. If it was up to Admiral Marjutsk Kadikistan would reform its navy to a submarine-based maritime force so that the country wouldn't have to face the better, more modern navies of the world head-on like today, but rather strike at opportune moments, cutting off supply lines and doing blitz-assaults.

Jeskov Marjutsk, nicknamed 'The Hammer' by most of his sailors for his use of a hammer in hand-to-hand combat during the Siege of Ivar (1907-1910) where according to your average soldier he cracked the skulls of 'hundreds or maybe even thousands of reactionaries', belonged to the Tsjekova Clan and was considered its most important member not considering all those actually named Tsjekova. The fact that he had been promoted to Admiral was part of a larger victory of the isolationist Tsjekova Revolutionary Clan on the ruling Leninov's. Nevertheless Marjutsk had taking his new job, which traditionally came with the office of 'Head of the Naval College of the People's Commissariat for War', very serious and had been studying intensely ever since his assignment looking over the most relevant naval tactics for his old fleet to utilize. He commanded with an iron first, but also took into careful consideration anything his officers would report or recommend, with his supreme authority not being the 'Glorious Leader' Nikolai Leninov, but General Ivan Tsjekova. Currently the Southern Revolutionary Fleet was patrolling in the Parvae Straits

As he took another sip of his coffee, Kadikistani coffee being nowhere near the quality of the Justinian brands, he observed one of his adjutants walking hastely towards him with a telegraph in his hand. "Status report and updates from Ivar, Comrade Admiral.", the officer said formally. The Admiral overlooked the rapport like he was reading every sentence at least twice. It was not his style to keep information for himself so he immediately briefed his officers, not caring that lower positions were listening in and that the news would spread like wildfire among the men. "Despite guarentees from the Pelasgians the Justinians won't let up. They have mobilized their entire Armed Forces and are calling up their reserves. We are to cease escorting the Kadikistani merchant ships through the Straits and take positions along the Northern coast of the Rogue State just outside their territorial water. Ivar has instructed me to leave a few Guard Ships on the trade routes to keep up appearances and continue the escort. I will keep this number to a minimum as I will refuse to sacrifice our capabilities. Seven

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will continue their escort duties, supported by 6

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subs. The rest of the fleet, safe for those guarding the coast, will follow us. We must hope that the Justinians won't be foolish enough to attack our civilian freighters, although that would give us cause to level the island. A fate that those inbred troublemakers fully deserve.", Marjutsk put down his mug while some of his officers were taking notes. "We will keep monitoring the Pelasgian and the Engello-Himyari's. Both have fleets either in the area or on their way according to our latest intelligence." The briefing went on for several minutes, discussing the known enemy's capabilities and positions as thorough as possible given the circumstances. War was brewing in the Kalahari and Kadikistan needed to be ready. There was little hope for the SWR's dubious peace initiatives to be succesfull and less even for the Pelasgians to keep their word.

 

[Furlanìe]

City of Tempa's harbour, Bracco island, Parvae islands

The aircraft carrier ''Libertade'' was docked at the little harbour of Tempa to be refuelled after the rushed departing from the dockyard of Scevola, the great ship shadowed the many little boats of the local fishermen and needed a lot of manoeuvres to reach the harbour safely.
The pompous arrive of the justinian ships nipped any fear of abandonment in the bud for the Parvae population, saving the unity of the nation from the kadiki aggressive actions.

The squadron admiral Bernardo Bellômini was on the bridge deck viewing some local maps when a communication arrived ''Iside Cruiser to Libertâde, Iside cruiser to Libertâde, can you hear us?"
"Here Libertâde, we hear you"
"Large part of the kadiki fleet is changing direction, the Achroterium-class 'Noctis' submarine is monitoring their movements but it seems they are heading north"
Bellômini looked at the comunications officer ''are we sure?''
''Iside are those informations correct?''
''we saw them sir, Noctis confirmed"
In a few minutes one of the

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fighters on the carrier was sent to overlook the fleet's movements with the order not to get too close to the kadiki ships.



"Silente" listening post, mount Presilio, Justiza

"Comander, there is a coded message coming from the Libertâde"

Kadiki fleet moving north . Check the fleets movements . Inform admiral Piero Sandronêi . Awaiting for new orders . Ships ready to depart .

 

[Remuria]

LONG SEA
TASK GROUP CALVINUS

Admiral von und zu Mondteil, commander of the Task Group Calvinus, popped open the sealed red enveloppe which contained his operational orders for the next phase of the entrusted operation. The orders were not overly complicated. Task Group Calvinus would establish a presence in the Long Sea in the vicinity of the Eiffellander and Pelasgian islands in such a pattern as to be able to both establish a barrage around the islands, as well as redeploy east if so ordered.

Overall, the presence of Nichtsteiner vessels in the Long Sea, given Nichtstein's position on the northern areas of it, was not something out of the ordinary. The fleet's movements were outside of the main civilian shipping lanes, so as to not disturb any civilian navigation, but they were not secretive, either. Just a regular deployment as part of a regular exercise dubbed SANTA LUCIA.

 

[Pelasgia]

International Waters, West of Himyar, Thaumatic Ocean

Two engineers in the lower deck of the VPN Andronikos II Komnēnos were performing routine maintenance on one of the carrier-based fighters of the ship. "I overheard one of the officers say that we recently crossed below the southernmost point of the Empire. We're a long way from home," said one of the engineers. His partner continued working on the wing of the fighter before stopping and replying. "Well, one of the submarines managed to intercept some radio signals from a Burgundian freighter, a few miles away, or so my friend who serves in the communications section says. It seems that the Justinians stormed out of the meeting in Deliverance, the madmen. You better make sure that engine's working well 'cause this baby is probably going to see service real soon." A few seconds of silence ensured, before both engineers made the same exclamation: "Shit."

International Waters, Northeast of Lauenburger Himyar and West of the Parvae Islands, Kalahari Sea

As the Second Fleet continued its course towards the Imperial Base at the Horn of Himyar, it happened to come across a Launeburger warship. The sailors of the Imperial warship nearest to the Launeburger vessel, a destroyer, waived and cheered as they moved passed the allies ship. Other than that, the day seemed to be without notable incidents. It was at that point that the fleet's Admiral, Milōn Venetos, who was aboard the VPN Ioannēs III Komnēnos received a concerning dispatch.

Hostile reinforcements near destination. Summit failing. Be on alert. Make haste.

 

[Pelasgia]

International Waters, West of Bourgogne Himyar, Thaumatic Ocean

The Second Fleet was now nearing the entrance point to the Clarencian, sailing to the west of the Burgundian colonial sector of Himyar. Reconnaissance and defence were now the primary concerns of the rapidly advancing force, since they were now closer to Deliverance than they were to the Empire's southernmost point. Nearing Loago, the sailors wondered whether the new regime would be willing to side with the Empire and Her Allies, in case of war against the Engello-Socialists.

International Waters, Northwest of of the Horn of Himyar, Kalahari Sea

Having finally reached its destination, that being the waters near the Empire's base at the Horn of Himyar, the Fourth Fleet, starting patrolling the area, maintaining maximal readiness, especially against aerial and submarine attacks, with a focus on protecting its capital ships and marines. A dispatch was sent to the Imperial base, to notify it of the Imperial forces' arrival in the area.

​

Reinforcements in position.

A simple and terrifying reply came back.

Summit failed.

 

[Socialist Commonwealth]

Sortain Straits

The Fifth Fleet had noticed the arrival of the Pelasgian forces, as was to be expected. They had patrolled the comparatively narrow straits in a wide pattern and with fully active radar, their orders being to monitor fleet movements in the area. It left them mostly defenseless against a possible Pelasgian surprise attack, but the officers and sailors of the Fifth Fleet were certain that the Pelasgians would not dare strike first. At least not, so the reasoning of the central command in Deliverance, against a target as strategically expendable as the relatively small Fifth Fleet. Of course, no one would tell the men and women of the fleet that they were deemed expendable.

In consequence, however, a force as large as the Pelasgian fleet could not enter the area undetected. Not that they were making any effort to hide, either. The downside to being ready for an attack was being visible: active radar, patrol flights. Anything that would easily get noticed by the ships of the Fifth Fleet that had essentially become the Republics radar and radio pickets in the Sortain Straits. The movements were reported back to Deliverance and would cause great concern in the capital.

Meanwhile, the Fifth Fleet had been ordered to tail the enemy. Ships that left the base would be followed and monitored. Central Command wanted to be informed of the location of the ships, prioritizing aircraft carriers, at all times, unless they left back for the Kalahari. If they were to progress further south, they would be followed and the Fifth Fleet, under those circumstances, had orders to maintain their pursuit. The Pelasgians could not be allowed to hide in the width of the Implarian Ocean.

That was the prerogative of the First and Second Implarian Fleets, which contained the bulk of World Republican Naval strength. Notified of the Pelasgian military buildup this close to the mainland of the SWR, they had immediately received orders to depart, disappearing eastwards into the Implarian Ocean where they would operate out of range for Pelasgian ships at the Horn of Himyar, but remain in proximity should their power be needed to repel Pelasgian forces.

Likewise, Navy Aviation along the coast of the SWR were placed on alert. All leave for personnel at Navy Airbases was cancelled until further notice and the pilots and crews were to stay put.

Pelasgian border

The Rangers were the first line of defence along the borders of the Republic. Specialized infantry operating in small units, trained and equipped to defend rugged terrain, which included the mountainranges of central Himyar that seperated the Pelasgian Empire from the Socialist World Republic. Throughout the wilderness, Rangers had prepared hidden safehouses and weapon storages so that they would be operational without reliance on logistical support and could bog down any potential invasion force in the difficult environment.

Of course, there were mountain paths. But any bridge, narrow road or passageway had its own assigned team that, in the case of enemy invasion, would use explosives to blockade the roads into the World Republic, while hidden, fortified firing positions would allow Rangers to stop even superior forces. Having memorized their section of the border like the back of their hand, they would also prove more mobile and tactically flexible than any Pelasgian attacker could, so it was hoped.

That being the first line of defense, behind the mountains came a second and third line. There were Army and Peoples' Guards forces assigned to the border regions which would be mobilized in case of war and had their own, preplanned defenses, which were deeply layered. It was generally assumed that the Pelasgians would never try to attack through the shared border, but being prepared for this eventuality was part of the reason.

Yet, defenses along the border did not only prepare against ground forces. Aerial attacks were one of the main concerns and maintaining air superiority was, in any war, a priority. This meant that, along the whole length of the border, the entire region was well equipped with radar pickets that monitored the airspace above the border. Given news of recent Pelasgian troop movements at the Horn of Himyar, defensive forces along the border were alert and, truth be told, some of the officers proved to be just a bit nervous about their duties. With planes operating along the Pelasgian border, but reception difficult due to the mountains, sorties were repeatedly sent out to clarify a situation that could not be assessed fully from the ground.

One of these pairs of jet fighters would encounter what turned out to be a Eiffelländer reconaissance plane. It had crossed into airspace of the SWR, or so the pilots were certain - the precise location and whether or not this was within the Pelasgian or the World Republican territory could be difficult to assess at times. It was decided to hail the Eiffelländer plane.

"This is the Army Aviation Corps of the Socialist World Republic speaking. You have trespassed into territory of the Free State of Kent. Identify yourself and follow us peacefully to the nearest base, where you will land. Do you copy?"

 

[Pelasgia]

International Waters, Southwest of Himyar, Thaumatic Ocean

The Second Fleet was now in the process of crossing into the Clarencian Sea, with all its ships on high alert. It moved slowly but steadily, heading towards the international waters the south of Engell Himyar and to the west of the Southern Himyari States.

International Waters, Near the Imperial Base on the Horn of Himyar, Kalahari Sea

The Fourth Fleet made no offensive movements against the Southern Himyari forces, standing its ground near the base it was meant to protect while ensuring its ships' safety. The ships rotating on patrol from the Imperial Base came increasingly close to the Fourth Fleets' patrols, slowly fusing the larger detachment from the Fatherland and the weaker garrison of the base into one large, joint force, which was prepared to repel any attack the South Himyaris might dare to make.

Southern Pelasgian Border, Theme of Brennia, Pelasgian Empire

The troops of the Empire's Third Army, headquartered at Hagia Aikaterine, Brennia, had been drilling intensively since the deployment of Southern Himyari forces near the Imperial Base at the Horn of Himyar. Artillery batteries lined the entirety of the defensive lines behind the mountain range, while the fortifications and bunkers of the Tzimiskes line, courtesy of the old Junta, were manned by the famous mountaineers of Brennia and Moesia. Troops from Pierrhea, Euxenia, Mopsia, and other regions of the Empire were the massive Central Himyari mountains dominated the landscape had all been brought in to hold the line, both within bunkers and outside them, in case of an attack, with particular care being given to the slope down which the river on which Makrakome was built flew. This part of the mountain range was somewhat lower than the rest of the massive mountain range, giving either side a passage to invade, but it was assumed that the Engello-Socialsits would not be insane enough to attempt a full-scale invasion, or even an incursion, through this sort of terrain.

The Pierrhean Guards, one of the Imperial Bodyguard Units, the Empire's most well known mountain troopers, were among the units which had been deployed to support the Akrite divisions, which had shielded the Empire's borders for centuries upon centuries. Along with artillery and land defences, anti-air systems, such as the new AAPS-1 Kerveros, lined the Brennian border regions, protecting the Empire against any South Himyari air raids. Pelasgian bombers, interceptors, and fighters, rotor-power and with jet engines, had also been deployed to the area in their hundreds. While the Imperial Military Aviation had never been the proudest or best equipped Imperial combat arm, since most of the technologically outstanding planes were assigned to the Naval Aviation Arm, aircraft of countries leading Europe in aerial development and warfare, such as Eiffelland, had been shipped in by the Empire's allies to supplement Imperial forces. The aerial forces assembled routinely patrolled and surveyed the Empire's southern border, to guard against assault by the Southern Himyari States.

 

[Rheinbund]

Eiffelland could not go to war without the approval of both chambers of parliament. Because most members of parliament had apartments in or around Trier, this could be handled within hours when needed. An exception to this rule was when Eiffelland itself was attacked, or when alliance obligations required Eiffelland to go to war. In those cases, the government could handle immediately, although parliament had to be informed.
Strictly speaking, there was no war yet, but the thread of war was imminent enough for the government to mobilise the Navy and the Air Force. And that was what happened last week. Planes were relocated to bases in Lauenburger Hymiar and Pelasgia, and the Navy was mobilised. The Eiffellandian Navy was by far not as large as what Pelasgia, the SWR and Kadikistan could send in, but everything could help.

Meanwhile, the planes were on their positions in Lauenburger Hymiar and Pelasgia. The carrier fleet was on its position as well. Furthermore, measures were taken for a quick mobilisation of the Land Army when needed.

One thing was still open. Parliament had to be informed. The Government decided to do so by informing the fraction leaders in the Staatstag and Staatsrat.


Border between Pelasgia and SWR

The Eiffellandian reconnaissance planes had witnessed repeated sorties by planes from the SWR, every time to see the planes returning. They understood very well why. Everybody was nervous at the moment. They themselves also requested sorties from the Eiffellandian or Pelasgian air force from time to time when two of such planes seemed to approach them.

That also happened this time. As soon as the team in the reconnaissance plane saw the two jet fighters approach them, they sent an emergency signal to the air force base. At that moment, two Eiffellandian Sturmvogel planes were in the shift. They immediately took off and flew to the reconnaissance plane.

The Sturmvogel (

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) was the latest jet fighter of the Eiffellandian aircraft company Dassau Flugzeugwerke. It had a maximum speed of Mach 1.86 / 1975 km/h / 1066 nautical miles per hour, and they were all equipped with heat seeking missiles and board cannons. It was a plane with excellent characteristics in dog fighting, but also rather unforgiving; therefore, it had to be flown by very experienced pilots. Because it was a very recent development, there was only one squadron flying these planes, but this squadron was operating in Pelasgia at the moment. Before coming to Pelasgia, the pilots of this squadron had already exercised a lot with their planes.

The captain of the reconnaissance plane cursed enormously when the message from the SWR planes came in: “These SWRers are full-blown idiots who can’t navigate. We are flying above Pelasgian soil. Actually they are trespassing. But apart from that, which idiot starts an international incident over a propeller plane from the 1940s? Radar! Where are our jets?”
Somebody from the radar team replied: “There are two of our jets coming to us with a speed of 1060 nautical miles per hour. Definitely Sturmvögel.”
“OK. Thank you. I will contact those idiots from the SWR.”

The captain said on the same frequency where the pilots from the SWR had contacted him: “This is Captain Horst Ritschka from the Königliche Lufstreitkräfte of Eiffelland speaking. I am currently flying this reconnaissance plane. I have to inform you that actually you are trespassing into Pelasgian territory. Therefore, you are not allowed to run us in. I need to order you to peacefully leave the Pelasgian airspace immediately. I also inform you that I will change my course 10 degrees northwards, otherwise I will indeed enter your airspace.”

Then he contacted the air force base that he had been hailed in Pelasgian airspace by two planes from the SWR.


Kanzleramt
Trier, Eiffelland

The news that an Eiffellandian reconnaissance plane had been hailed near the Pelasgian-SWR border came in during the meeting between the Chancellor and the fraction leaders. Up to now, the meeting had been quite calm. Initially, the sociodemocrat SPE and the socioliberal LDP had been against an alliance with Pelasgia, but that had changed after the government change earlier this year. The leninovist KPE had also been against the alliance with Pelasgia, but now they remained quite calm. The fact that the government had started mobilising and coming into action in Pelasgia and Lauenburger Hymiar before notifying parliament did raise some eyebrows, but the government explained satisfactorily why secrecy had been needed. The only party that objected against everything was the pacifist PRP.

But when the news about the hailed plane came in, there was a new situation.

“Is there a plan for this situation, Herr Kanzler?” fraction leader Hans-Jochen Rudersbach from the SPE asked.

“The information we have, is that the plane is above Pelasgian soil,” the Chancellor said. “Therefore, the pilots from the SWR are not allowed to hail it. We will investigate how this could happen. The pilots are instructed to stay 0.5 nautical mile away from the border, but either that is not enough or the pilot did not follow that instruction and flew so close to the border that it was confusing.”

“And what if our plane is shot down?” Rudersbach asked.

“Two of our fighters are currently on their way to the theatre. We cannot let those planes do nothing in that case,” the Chancellor said.

 

[Aegada]

International Waters
North east of Justiza, Kalahari Sea
Fleet 2

Admiral Titus Primus was on the bridge of the HMS [FONT=&amp]Anóyia[/FONT] when they received an encrypted message from the naval base in Pergomenus.

[FONT=&amp]Summit has failed, prepare for the worst. Head to these set of coordinates. Once there accompany the 4th Pelasgian Fleet and await further instructions. Godspeed.[/FONT]

He turned and instructed the the seamen operating the radios and instructed them to notify the other ships of the change in course. He knew a storm was brewing and that it was more than likely going to end bloody, he knew what was at stake. He never thought he'd see the day he would have to go back into the hellish nightmare of a major war. He was there in the Second Great War, he was just a Commander at the time. He watched as the ships around him be blown to bits, he watched as his friends died from afar. That was a sad horrid perk of being in command of an aircraft carrier, you were far enough away from combat to be safe yet close enough to watch the senseless bloodshed. The Admiral at the time went down on his Battleship, he was then promoted to Admiral, near the end of the war luckily. A lieutenant walked up and put a hand on his shoulder, "Are you alright sir?"

"Yes I... I'm fine thank you," He paused then regained his posture, "We have new orders, we are to rendezvous with the 4th Pelasgian Fleet. I fear that the nightmare we have all been dreading has become a reality." Seaman looked around nervously, the Admiral then tapped the railing and said, "That is all," and left the bridge.


Aegadian Waters
South West of Aegada
Fleet 1

Admiral Hector Romanos, the commander in charge of the First Fleet, received an encrypted message from HQ only a few days ago. His instructions were clear but did not make them any more uneasy, he knew what was to come. Luckily his counterpart on the 2nd Fleet got the worse of the assignments. While Admiral Romanos is to bring his fleet to patrol the Varden Straight to ensure safe passage of allied ships, his counterpart Admiral Titus Primus is to attach to the 4th Pelasgian Fleet at the Horn of Himyar. He knew Admiral Primus could handle it, but felt sorry for him. He knows that they will more than likely receive the majority of the fighting, hopefully if the Proschédio is necessary most of the ships would go and assist the 2nd Fleet instead of his own.


Fort Anóyia
North of Thomaíon
Army HQ

General Cyras Rigus, General of the Army, began sending encrypted messages to all army bases. Alerting the commanders of the current situation unfolding in the Kalahari Sea Region, and also to have recruitment offices to achieve a higher quota for what may be a Third Great War. He never would say that it is going to be a war of that proportion but he fears for what it may become. He sat in his office sipping his coffee waiting to receive confirmation from the bases that they received the message, when the Lieutenant walked in with most of the confirmations in a vanilla folder he was slightly relieved.

The Lieutenant saluted him and said, "Sir most of the confirmations have been received, still awaiting to hear from 4 bases, Fort Soúgia, Fort Neokhórion, the recruiting office in Makrochóri, and the joint Air Force Army base in Sásalos sir."

"Noted, thank you," General Rigus replied while saluting back, he took the papers and thumbed through them. "Dismissed," with the Lieutenant replying with a heartily "Sir yes sir!" saluted the General, dropped the salute and left the office.

 

[Rheinbund]

Headquarters of Dassau Flugzeugwerke

“Would it be possible to additionally focus on the production of Sturmvögel?” Minister for Defence Ferdinand Jung asked to Tobias Dassau, the chairman of Dassau Flugzeugwerke and the éminence grise of the Eiffellandian aircraft industry. He was 75 years of age, but still led the company, although next year his youngest son Joachim Dassau would take over. He built his first aeroplane in 1905 and grounded the company in 1910.

“Next to the Warnstern?” Dassau asked.

“Yes,” the minister said. “Both planes are desparately needed. We will need jet fighters on the front line when the war breaks out; I expect that quite a lot will be shot down, especially when we have to fight for air superiority above the SWR. But we also need those modern reconnaissance planes. We need to know well in advance what is coming towards us. That’s why we also need Warnsterne. The five we currently have already patrol each night.”

“Let’s see what we need for that,” Dassau said. He stood up from his chair and went to the book shelf in his office. After a few seconds of searching, he found the ordner he needed.

“Our war protocol,” he said, and walked back to the table with the ordner. There he opened it and started to read. He took his blocnote and a ballpoint.

“This protocol indicates how to scale up our production in case of war. Under this protocol, we can also call recently retired employees back,” he explained. “There is one issue. This protocol does not foresee a speedy build-up of Sturmvögel. That plane is too new for that. When we really have to go into war mode with respect to fighters, we will need to do so with Mysterium II planes. Based on this protocol, we can build 200 additional Mysterium II planes per month for a year. What I can do though, is halt the work on other planes than the Warnstern and the Sturmvogel for now. This will lead to delays for other customers, however. Customers who might go to other companies. Therefore, I would prefer to wait with this decision until the war breaks out.”

“I understand,” the minister said. “Suppose that the war breaks out, how fast can you hold off the work on other planes and focus on additional Sturmvögel, and how many Sturmvögel can you manufacture then?”

“I can switch the production in one day, and I can produce 20 Sturmvögel per month then,” Dassau said.

“OK. Thanks,” the minister said. “I have to notify you that I didn’t come alone, by the way. From today onwards, all the Dassau facilities will be guarded by the army. The buildup is currently ongoing. This to prevent terrorist attacks. Suppose that indeed this facility is blown up by terrorists. How fast can you restart production?”

“This office building is almost undestroyable,” Dassau said. “I have also emergency factories. I can start those up in a week when needed. I can also prepare them so that they can be started up sooner.”

“Please do so,” the minister said.

 

[Pelasgia]

International Waters, South of Himyar, Thaumatic Ocean

The Second Fleet was now in the Clarencian Sea, south of Engell Himyar, deep in international waters to remain as concealed as possible. Its ships, aircraft, and submarines did their best to patrol the skies and waters near the fleet, to protect it, especially its carriers and marines.